Chapter 558:
The Bear Participates in the Gathering
WE PARTED WAYS WITH NOA at the edge of the field As Shia took me over to where I needed to go.
“Mr. Shoog, I’ve brought Yuna. She said she would participate.”
We were in front of the teacher. Seeing him from up close, I finally recognized him. He really was the same teacher I’d met when I was consulted about guarding Shia’s group.
“Thank you. You’re a life saver.”
After thanking me and looking me in the face, his eyes wandered to my hands and feet.
“So you really are the girl who was in the bear outfit back then.”
“Please keep that a secret,” I said.
I didn’t want anyone else knowing I normally wore a bear suit.
“Are you sure it’s okay for me to participate, though?”
“We’ll get permission from the Yufarian teachers, so I think it should be fine. We wouldn’t approve of this if you didn’t look like you were younger than the rest of the students.”
Hey, it wasn’t my fault I was short. I’m a growing girl, okay? I would definitely fill out soon—and not just in height.
“Remember, this is a magic exchange gathering. It’s not just about winning, we’re trying to show off our techniques to each other in order to improve both sides. That’s the real goal. You’ll be a wonderful example for the other students since they’re the same age as you, and I think it’ll help them improve.”
Help them improve, huh? Yeah, that was the goal of this whole thing, I guess.
“Also the Yufarian side has Lady Seleiyu as it is.”
“Basically, you want us to win against her?”
“I can’t say that I don’t. Since you were able to defeat a black tiger, if you enter, the competition should be interesting. It’s team-based too, so even if we have one powerful person on our team, that won’t determine the outcome of the match.”
Right, the rules made sure that just having one strong person wouldn’t guarantee you’d win.
“I’ll check in with the other side’s teacher, so please wait here.”
He headed over to the Yufarian side, chatted for a bit, then came right back.
“We have their okay.”
Apparently, it had been a simple negotiation.
“I told them you’re a strong mage who’s about the same age as the students with the approval of the Fochrosé family, and they said it was no issue. It seems they really are confident in themselves.”
Well, they had Seleiyu, after all. Not to mention, a lot of other students who were good at magic.
“Shia, introduce her to the other students and summarize the rules quickly for Yuna please.”
“May I tell everyone that Yuna is a student, sir?”
“Ah, yes. That would cause the least commotion, so that’ll do.”
I was wearing a uniform anyway, and explaining the truth would definitely be more complicated. We couldn’t cause confusion among the students before the competition even started. Like we discussed, I was going to be joining as one of Shia’s student friends.
“Oh, sir, I’m going to introduce her as Youna, so please follow along too if you could.”
“‘You-nah’?” He looked confused.
Shia and I told him about my fake name.
“It’s not much of a fake name...”
No arguments here.
“Well, all right then,” he said. “I’m looking forward to having you on our team, Youna.”
Shia and I headed over to join the other students. The ten girls in uniforms all looked at me, and I felt a little nervous.
“Shia, can you introduce us? You’re the girl who had a match with Lady Seleiyu the other day, aren’t you?”
“Um, so this is Yu-Youna.”
Shia introduced me.
“Hi, I’m Youna. I’m Shia’s friend. I came here to cheer on Shia, but it looks like I’m going to be participating with you guys now.”
Since we were meeting for the first time, I tried to be polite.
“I saw your match the other day. You must be amazing if you could win against Lady Seleiyu.”
“I had no idea we had a girl as powerful as you at the academy.”
The girls all started to mob me. Geez, personal space, guys. I was used to being surrounded by little kids, but not by girls my own age. It threw me off.
“Okay, everyone. Give her some space. We have a match to focus on. So, Youna, was it? What kind of magic are you good at?”
An older girl, seemingly the captain, made the other girls back off.
“I’m essentially an all-arounder,” I said. “Shia wants me to focus on protecting a flag.”
I figured there was no harm in saying Shia had asked me to play defense, instead of it being my idea.
“Right, the girl we lost was going to protect a flag, so it should work just fine if you slot in to replace her.”
“No biggie if your flag goes down. We’ll work hard to pick up the slack.”
Everyone was way more open to me joining the team than I had expected. I thought that someone like me joining up out of nowhere would bring out at least one naysayer. Maybe it was because Shia was around and she was a noble?
They all recapped the rules Shia had taught me one more time.
“The real issue is Lady Seleiyu. What should I do if she comes after my flag?”
“We’d be lucky if she targeted our weakest player.”
“Urgh. You’re so mean.”
Everyone laughed. It wasn’t said in a meanspirited way, so the girl who had been poked fun at laughed too.
“Lady Seleiyu is going to go for Rouge, I think.”
When I asked for clarification, it turned out Rouge was their best defender.
“I think that there’s a chance she might go after Youna too, in order to try to get a rematch.”
“You’re right. That seems likely.”
“But magic and sword fighting are separate skills.”
“No offense, Youna, but Lady Seleiyu would be ousted from the game early if she goes after you, which would work in our favor.”